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PARTICIPATION PLAN FOR THE
ACI-NA LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
STEERING GROUP
Purpose: The Steering Group for the ACI-NA Legal Affairs Committee (the “Committee”)
is the group of ACI-NA Member legal representatives that, foremost, plans the annual
Spring and Fall Legal Conferences for ACI-NA. In addition, the Steering Group members
participate as speakers and moderators at the Committee’s conferences; serve on
working groups to review briefs, comments, regulations, and legislation for ACI-NA;
address and provide guidance for specific legal issues raised by individual ACI-NA
Members and Committee members; assist ACI-NA in briefings before Congress and
administrative agencies; and participate in agency focus groups.
Size: The Steering Group is composed of 27 members -- 24 of whom are designated
legal representatives of ACI-NA Airport Members (selected as described below under
“New Members”), 1 of whom is a representative of an ACI-NA Associate Member
(selected by the Steering Group for a 1-year term), 1 of whom is a representative of the
ACI-NA Board (selected by the ACI-NA Board), and 1 of whom is a representative of the
ACI-NA Commissioners (selected by the ACI Commissioners).
New Members: The Committee Chair and Vice Chair jointly select, and submit for
approval to the Steering Group, nominees to fill vacancies on the Steering Group. During
this selection process, the Chair and Vice Chair will endeavor to maintain the ratio of
Large, Medium, and Small airport representation, as well as broad geographic diversity
among Steering Group members. The representative of an ACI-NA Associate Member is
selected by the Chair, Vice Chair, and Steering Group in the same manner as the Airport
Member designated legal representatives. Prior to appointment to the Steering Group,
a nominee must obtain a commitment from the ACI-NA Airport Member or Associate
Member for whom the nominee is the designated legal or other representative to
support the nominee’s participation in and travel for the Steering Group.
Term Limits: There are no term limits for the 24 Steering Group members who are
designated legal representatives of ACI Airport Members. History has shown that
openings in these positions on the Steering Group regularly become available through
natural attrition.
Associate Member Participation Restriction: A Steering Group member who is an
employee, partner or shareholder of a private law firm, as well as that law firm, may not
represent interests adverse to airports, regardless of whether such Steering Group
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member is the designated legal representative of an ACI-NA Airport Member or a
representative of an ACI-NA Associate Member.
Changes in Steering Group Member Employment: Any Steering Group member who
ceases to be the legal representative of an ACI-NA Airport or Associate Member shall
vacate the position on the Steering Group, provided that Committee Chair, upon
consultation with the Steering Group, may permit such member to remain on the
Steering Group for up to 90 days after termination of such member’s representation of
an ACI-NA Airport or Associate Member, as the case may be.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provision, if a Steering Group member leaves the
employment of the ACI-NA Airport Member for whom that Steering Group member was
the designated legal representative and becomes the designated legal representative of
a different ACI-NA Airport Member, that person may remain on the Steering Group if
the new ACI-NA Airport Member employer agrees to support the legal representative’s
participation in and travel for the Steering Group.
In no event shall a person representing interests adverse to airports, or whose firm does
so, be permitted to remain on the Steering Group.
Member Requirements: The Steering Group shall meet at each of the annual Spring
and Fall ACI-NA Legal Conferences, as well as one or more other times each year.
Steering Group members must attend in person at least two of the Steering Group
meetings each year. The Committee Chair may waive this requirement for good cause.
In order to promote vibrant and effective ACI-NA legal conferences, the Steering Group
believes that it is critical for its members to participate at the Spring and Fall Steering
Group meetings and Committee conferences. If a Steering Group member fails to meet
the attendance requirement set forth above without reasonable cause, the Committee
Chair, upon consultation with the Committee Vice-Chair may request such Steering
Group member to resign from the Steering Group.
At least once every two years, each Steering Group member must participate as a
speaker, a moderator, or a member of a reviewing working group or obtain speakers for
conference presentations. In addition, each member must assist in fulfilling the
purposes of the Committee in a substantial manner, including, among other things,
through participation, where relevant, in providing input to questions and issues faced
by ACI-NA Airport Members, and identifying issues of importance to the airport legal
community.
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Membership on the Steering Group is limited to one designated representative from any
ACI-NA Airport or Associate Member. In order to ensure adequate knowledge,
experience, and expertise in the unique legal issues faced by public airports, an
individual must be the ACI-NA Airport Member’s or Associate Member’s designated
legal representative to the ACI-NA Legal Affairs Committee and must have participated
in the ACI-NA Legal Affairs Committee conferences for a sustained period of at least
three years before being eligible for membership on the Steering Group.
Encouraging New Participants: At the two Committee conferences each year, the
Committee Chair will provide information on the duties, requirements, and
commitment for participation in the Steering Group, announce vacancies, and request
that anyone interested contact the Committee Chair.
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